How the GCCF Processes Your BP Claims

The way the GCCF processes BP claims is pretty murky. Since the GCCF doesn’t seem to be trying to clarify how BP Claims work, I’m going to do my best to lay out the steps of the process, the timeline you’ll be looking at, and how much money you can expect to get.

Step 2: You wait. A long, long time. The GCCF says it tries to process BP claims in 90 days, but most people are waiting upwards of 120 days to receive anything back from the GCCF.

Step 3: They finally send you a letter. Most of the time it will say one of two things: Either a) We paid you too much in emergency claim money so we don’t owe you anything, but you can take a quick pay for $5,000 (or $25,000 for business claims) and sign away your rights or b) We need more documentation to process your claim. If you’re very lucky, they might actually have just processed your claim, but that almost never happens.

Step 4: You can either accept the low-ball quick pay (We recommend that you do not), or you send in the additional documentation if they asked for it, and wait even more for your BP Claims money.

Step 5: After waiting even longer, the GCCF will most likely just send you a measly quick pay offer of $5,000 for personal or $25,000 for business claims. Very few people get real money from a final or interim claim. If you are one of the lucky few who got a good offer, you can go ahead and take it and you’ll be finished.

So What Should You Do About Your BP Claims?

If you are one of the many people who just got a quick pay offer for your BP Claims, you can try to appeal with them, but I wouldn’t bank on that working out. If you think it’s fair compensation, you can take the quick pay. If you are like most people though, it’s not going to be anywhere near the amount BP actually caused you to lose.

If you have gotten to the point where all they are offering you for your BP Claims is quick pay, the only way to get a larger amount is through an attorney. You can either get one to help you with your BP Claims and tell the GCCF that you are represented by an attorney, or you can wait and file a lawsuit.

If I’m Not Getting Anywhere with my BP Claims, how will filing a lawsuit work?

The big trial to figure out which of the many companies involved in the oil spill are liable for what is happening in February 2012. After that trial takes place, you will be able to file lawsuits to get what you rightfully deserve. It is definitely a long time to wait, especially because so many gulf coast residents are hurting right now, but if quick pay is the best they are offering you for your BP Claims, it’s probably the only way to get real money from them.

Lawsuits can be a hassle, but once you’ve gone through the GCCF’s complicated process to get your BP Claims money, if you are not satisfied by the pitiful amount they probably offered you, then you may need to consider contacting a lawyer. It’s not about trying to get money you don’t deserve; it’s about BP making up for the damage they caused to you and your family.

If you want us to take a look at your BP Claims and help you out with the process, always feel free to fill out the free case review box on the side of the page and we’ll get back to you soon.

Government Officials Investigating Gulf Coast Claims Process

It’s an open secret that the Gulf Coast Claims Facility is not doing a good job getting money out to people who need and deserve it, and that’s why it can be frustrating when it seems like nobody is doing anything about it. Well it looks like some state governments are finally taking action to clean up the Gulf Coast Claims process. This is all preliminary stuff, so I wouldn’t start celebrating yet, but it looks like there are least people with influence out there who care about Gulf Coast Claims. From big issues to small ones, we’re starting to see some action.

States Taking Action on Gulf Coast Claims

The Gulf Breeze Claims Office in Florida is closing for no reason (except to get people to give up on getting their Gulf Coast Claims), but it’s actually getting some notice from people like Florida State Representative Doug Broxson who said he is “disturbed” by its recent closure.

Louisiana has also filed against BP and Transocean because they are trying to limit their liability for gulf coast claims for the 5 million barrels of oil they dumped into the gulf. BP and Transocean are trying to get out of paying for the damage they caused by saying that their explosion of oil was a “permitted discharge” under a ridiculous interpretation of an old law, and Louisiana is calling them on it.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood thinks that the Gulf Coast Claims Facility is tricking and forcing people into taking low quick pay final payments, and is going to Washington to look at their shady paperwork.

What Does This Mean For People Trying to Get Gulf Coast Claims?

The good news is that there are people in the state governments who see what BP is trying to do with the gulf coast claims process, and they are trying to do something about it. The bad news is that BP is very powerful, and has had virtually no pressure from the federal government to get its act together. The states may have some luck getting BP to actually pay what it deserves, but for right now it looks like the Gulf Coast Claims Facility is still up to its same old tricks: Delaying, demanding more documents, and denying.

If you want some free help getting the most from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, you can fill out the free case review box on the right side of the page and somebody will contact you to help you out. In the meantime, as always, we recommend that you avoid taking any quick pay payments from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility and signing away your rights. Even though the GCCF is stingy with them, try to get interim payments so you don’t have to sign away your rights to get compensated.

Right now BP has said that the effects of the oil spill will be gone by the end of 2011. I’m sorry, but that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, and we all know it’s a lie. If you want to be compensated for your losses past 2011, or even completely for 2010-2011, be very careful about taking final payments from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.